Frog/amt mercedes 300sl gullwing

[Snake45]

There's also an inexpensive Welly 1/24 diecast of this car that's pretty darn nice for the price ($10 at Rite Aid). I've seen it available in red and in silver. If you want a model of this car on your shelf but don't want to build one, the Welly is a darn good alternative. 

[Richard Bartrop]

4 hours ago, 89AKurt said:

I never heard of Frog, learned something today.

They're probably better known in model airplane circles, and they never sold their kits in US under the Frog name.  They are noteworthy for basically inventing the plastic model kit.

I had the AMT version of the Gullwing way back when it was released as part of their "Special interest" line.  It's a nicely detailed kit with a fairly accurate shape.  It is a '60s vintage kit,  so some finessing will be required, though not as much as on the MPC classics.  Lots of chassis detail that will never see the light of day once everything is buttoned up.

[Brian Austin]

Re: "The Matchbox release is the same as the AMT kit; so, it can't be a really bad copy because it was produced from the AMT molds. "

Indeed, AMT was owned by Lesney in the late '70s, prior to in turn being sold to ERTL.  AMT kits were marketed in Europe as Matchbox-AMT.  The so-branded Mercedes 300SL pictured in the thread appears to bear German text.

In my view, the Matchbox-AMT box pictured above is not particularly ugly, just an example of its period.

 

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Lesney_Products

[Snake45]

1 hour ago, Richard Bartrop said:

They're probably better known in model airplane circles, and they never sold their kits in US under the Frog name.  They are noteworthy for basically inventing the plastic model kit.

I had the AMT version of the Gullwing way back when it was released as part of their "Special interest" line.  It's a nicely detailed kit with a fairly accurate shape.  It is a '60s vintage kit,  so some finessing will be required, though not as much as on the MPC classics.  Lots of chassis detail that will never see the light of day once everything is buttoned up.

Frog and AMT had a co-marketing deal going in the late '60s/early '70s. AMT sold some of their 1/72 airplanes here, in AMT boxes. I had their B-26 Marauder. At the same time, AMT was doing the same thing with Hasegawa with some 1/72 jets. 

[DukeE]

The Matchbox issue box art looks far more like a toy than the kit really is. Not compelling one to buy and build one's dream car. Probably would have sold some Hubleys though. 

This box was posted here for bad box art, Daytona as a dirt track. Car looks great, so I can live with that fatal flaw. Really nice kit too, shared nothing with the 69. Tool gone I'm sure. 

[ChrisBcritter]

Predecessor to the Frog kits, this English release of the AMT '59 Continental just sold (expensively) on eBay:

Playcraft also sold the '59 Buick (convertible?), and this was probably the source of rumors that the molds are in England still.